Website Design References – Five websites / seven design characteristics
This project requires that we define a field of web design to explore when developing our own website based on visual and functional attributes of websites rather than their content. We are to identify five web designs that together represent a design aesthetic that will be explored in our own website. When looking at sites I have applied the Steve Krug’s “trunk test” and for most of the designs I have chosen it is easy to navigate to the home page and know where you are at anytime within the website. I do have six sites mentioned here, but Parklife is only mentioned for the illustrative example. Here they are.
Good Vibrations
The first thing I liked about this site was how bright and colourful it was. The use of photo’s edited to give a poster like effect in the background adds a nice texture and contast to the solid colours.
home page
Falls Festival
- Music and Arts Festival
The main thing I like in the Falls Festival site is the illustration and the use of colour. The navigation is interesting giving users the option to select where they want to go through images or text links. This site uses the scrolling box with limitless information meaning you always have the entire page in view but also have access to a large amount of information in a small section of the page. When you enter the the Falls Festival site as a flash version you get this. The magnifiying glass makes the items in the circles move and highlights your choice.
Falls Festival home page
Falls Festival – flash entry page
Magnify glass examples
Big Day Out 2009
The imagery is great in this page. I love the use of real items as navigation, for example to enter the site with the red sign. It is becoming a standard characteristic that I like with the static navigation. I like the Navigation going across the top with the drop down menu’s. It’s also good having the pages open up into a separate window therefore not losing the main page you were in or accidentally closing the whole site down. Including the bookmark option is also good especially for those not that savvy with computers or looking for a quick and easy way to bookmark the page. The text colour change when rollover or (some kind of animation) is a good way for a visitior to know that further information is available by clicking here.
navigation example
Bluesfest
I like the use of texture in the background. The use of colours also appeals and combination of imagery/ photo’s in the background. The menu is static throughout the whole site so no matter where you are the information is always presented in the same section but the the main navigation is static and accessible wherever you are. The drop down option within the section is a feature that makes it easier to select the specific information you are after without having to add another item to the main navigation.
Below with the additional text menu underneath the day selection you can drill down further and more specifically to retrieve the information you require.
Blues fest navigation example
Bluesfest navigation text example
Soundwave
I didn’t specifically like the illustration in this one, it’s ok, but the easy navigation and again the static navigation is a characteristic that makes navigation easy. In this site it also has the scroll screen within the site so instead of scrolling down with the window scroll bar it is within the page and all the information can be viewed this way. I also like the way the information is presented in the same section as in other websites mentioned in this design reference project. Another aspect this site has is that a theme is followed throught the entire site.
Soundwave map and timetable
Soundwave band info
Parklife
Straightaway again I am drawn to the illustration – aesthetic aspect of the title for parklife.
Initially it’s not obvious where to access the information on the site. but there is a text menu at the bottom to select the applicable state.
Parklife title
Parklife artists menu
Parklife flash pop up info about bands
SUMMARY – My seven characteristics
So here’s a summary of the seven main characteristics that I would like to incorporate into my re-design of stonefest.
- Static Navigation Bar
- Scrollbar information boxes
- Multiple navigation options
- Illustrative design
- Textured backgrounds
- Use of real items (scanned in, not drawn or created with software)
- Flash animation
Cheers for now…. 
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